I’ve been going back and forth on if I should replace my iPad for a few weeks now. It works perfectly well for how I use it (mostly watching shows, taking notes, drawing, and a game or two). I take care of it, keep it in a case, and it’s in near perfect condition after I got it refurbished a little over 5 years ago.

But… I keep getting flashbacks to my iPad before that one. That one I had for about 6 years, when I started to get notifications that apps were no longer working on it anymore, and slowly but surely it became unsupported.

It’s kind of a bummer to think that even though my iPad is perfectly good for how I use it, I probably should spend money to replace it if I want to keep using it. I actually was partway through writing this post when I saw that someone else had written almost the exact same thing about their iPhone just a few days ago. I like being able to keep my stuff well-maintained and use it until it can’t be used anymore. My Kindle from 2011 is still going strong! I replace parts of my desktop computer as needed! I replaced some parts of my headphones recently and they’re good as new!

But, alas, “planned depreciation” is a thing for so much of our hardware nowadays. I was looking at other “sustainable” tablets like the Daylight Computer which does seem more my speed, if it had all the apps I would want to use on it. I’m hoping that more companies come out with longer-lasting, maintainable options, like the Framework Laptop. Being able to fix your own stuff (or at least buy something that lasts as long as you’re willing to take care of it) might be harder for a business to grow quickly, but it’s better for the environment, and ultimately your wallet as a consumer, too, even if you have to pay a bit more upfront.

Eh. Until I decide to take the leap and upgrade because I have to, I’ll be perusing r/BuyItForLife and shaking my fist at society, as one does.